MEET THE PHYSICIAN

Phillip Kissel, M.D.

Dr. Kissel is a board-certified neurosurgeon who practices exclusively In San Luis Obispo, California. His clinical practice was established after completion of formal medical training in 1989. It includes caring for patients with a multitude of neurosurgical problems which involve the spine, brain and peripheral nerves. He is a solo practitioner actively involved with both elective and emergency surgery. He maintains involvement with academic programs both as a clinical instructor and referral source. The information highlighted below is a synopsis of his professional background and neurosurgical interests.


College Education:	University of California, San Diego La Jolla, California
	B.A. Biology	1976
	Postbaccalaureate Neuroscience Graduate work	1978-1980


Medical Education:	The Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University North Chicago, Illinois M.D. Degree	1983

Surgical Internship:	UCLA/Harbor General Medical Center Torrance, California	1984

Neurosurgical Residency:	University of California, Davis Sacramento, California
	Neurological Surgery	1984-1989
	Chief Resident	1988-1989

Neurosurgical Clinical Practice:	Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center San Luis Obispo, California	1989-Current

Certification:
National Board of Medical Examiners 1984
American Board of Neurological Surgeons 1991
Fellow, American College of Surgeons 1993
Qualified Medical Evaluator 1994-2012
University Affiliations:
University of California, San Francisco
Clinical Professor, Department of Neurosurgery Jan. 2021-current
Rosalind Franklin University-CMS Alumni Board of Governors 2005-2008
Distinguished Alumnus of the Year 2007
University of California, Davis
Clinical Instructor, Department of Neurological Surgery 1989-2020
Professional Memberships:
San Luis Obispo County Medical Society
California Association of Neurological Surgeons – President 2016
Fellow American College of Surgeons (F.A.C.S.)
Congress of Neurological Surgeons
Western Neurosurgical Society
California Medical Association
Professional Liability Committee Member
American Association of Neurological Surgeons
Joint Section on Spine and Peripheral Nerves
Joint Section on Trauma and Critical Care
Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society
Rosalind Franklin University School of Medicine
Hospital Committees:
Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center
Director, Comprehensive Spine Center Nov. 2013-current
Tenet Health Central Coast Physician of the Year; Nov. 2022
Chief of Staff 2013
Medical Executive Committee Jan. 2011-2015 and 2019-current
Governing Board 1998-2003; 2005-2010; 2012-2014; 2016-2021
Surgical Review Committee 1993-current
Chairperson, Department of Surgery 1996-1998; 2019-2021
Stroke Committee and Director 2020-2022
Critical Care Committee 1989-1993; Chairperson 1992
Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee 1990-1993
Bioethics Committee 1991-1993
Endovascular Committee 2005 / Chairperson 2005
Stroke and Trauma Task Force Committee 2005
Tumor Board 2010-current
Trauma Committee 2010-current
Community Activities:
San Luis Obispo Medical Education & Research Foundation.
Board of Directors, January 2021-current. Mission: To provide forums and
other forms of education for physicians, schools, and other members of the community.
CANCER SUPPORT COMMUNITY, California Central Coast
Clinical Dedication Honoree, August 21, 2021
THINK FIRST PROGRAM
Established the San Luis Obispo Regional chapter of
this national program to prevent head and spinal cord injury.
BRAIN ATTACK COALITION
Regional faculty member of organization established to improve
clinical management and acute intervention for stroke.

Scientific Presentations:

I.	Digital Angiographic Quantification of Blood Flow Dynamics in Embolic Stroke Treated with Tissue-Type Plasminogen Activator. Kissel P, Chehrazi B, Siebert JA, Wagner FC. Slide Presentation: American Heart Association 59th Scientific Sessions; Dallas, Texas; November 18, 1986. Poster Presentation: Twelfth International Joint Conference on Stroke and Cerebral Circulation; Tampa, Florida; Feb. 17, 1987. Poster Presentation; American Association of Neurological Surgeons Annual Meeting; Dallas, Texas; May 6, 1987.

II.	Tissue Plasminogen Activator in Embolic Stroke; Angiographic Analysis of Cerebral Blood Flow and Parenchymal Perfusion. Kissel P, Chehrazi B, Seibert JA, Wagner FC. Slide Presentation: Twenty-fourth Annual Meeting of The Federation of Western Societies of Neurological Science; San Diego, California; April 1, 1987. Poster Presentation: University of California Davis; Sixth Annual Biomedical Research Symposium; Sacramento, California; October 27, 1987.

III.	Post-Traumatic Anterior Cervical Osteophyte; Surgical Report and Literature Review. Kissel P, Youmans JR. Poster Presentation: Sixth Annual Meeting of The Joint Section on Disorders of The Spine and Peripheral Nerves; American Association of neurological Surgeons and Congress of Neurological Surgeons; Captiva Island, Florida; Feb. 7, 1990.

IV.	Vertebral Body Bone as Autologous Graft for Anterior Cervical Fusion. Clinical outcome in 60 consecutive patients. Kissel P. Poster Presentation: Tenth Annual Meeting of The Joint Section on Disorders of The Spine and Peripheral Nerves. Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Feb. 10, 1994. Poster Presentation: American Association of neurological Surgeons; Annual Meeting; San Diego, California; April 12, 1994
V.	Current Treatment of Coccidioidomycosis Spinal Fungal Infection. Kissel P, Herron LD. Poster Presentation: Congress of Neurological Surgeons; Annual Meeting; Montreal, Canada; Sept. 28, 1996. Poster Presentation; Thirteenth Annual Meeting of The Joint Section on Disorders of The Spine and Peripheral Nerves. Newport Beach, California; February 19, 1997. Lecture Presentation: The Western Neurosurgical Society; 43rd Annual Meeting; Ojai, California; Sept. 23, 1997. Lecture Presentation: Coccidioidomycosis Study Group; 42nd Annual Meeting; Visalia, California; April 4, 1998.

VI.	Anterior Cervical Fusion with Autogenous Vertebral Body Bone Graft: Results in Single Level Surgery. Kissel P, Herron LD. Lecture Presentation: Japanese Spine Research Society and North American Spine Society Meeting; Kona, Hawaii; July 26, 2000.

VII.	Clinical Experience with Usage of Intraoperative Evoked Potential Monitoring in Cervical Myelopathy. Kissel P, Robbins M. Lecture Presentation: The Western Neurosurgical Society; 46th Annual Meeting; Kona, Hawaii; Sept. 10, 2000.

VIII.	Dystextia: An Early Sign of Pregnancy-associated Meningioma. Kissel P, Hannah J. Russell B. Lecture Presentation: The Western Neurosurgical Society; 59th Annual Meeting; Half Moon Bay, California; Sept. 16, 2013.
IX.	Far Lateral Lumbar Disc Herniation: The Ganglionic Syndrome. Kissel P. Lecture Presentation: UCSF Neurosurgical Update; Napa, CA; Aug. 1, 2021. Lecture Presentation: The Western Neurosurgical Society Annual Meeting; Albuquerque, NM; Sept. 11, 2021.
X.	Spinal Surgery: Round Table Interdisciplinary Discussion Panelist. UCSF Spine Symposium; San Francisco, California; May 21, 2022, and June 16, 2023.

Publications:
Allen N, Kissel P, Pietrasuik D, Perlow MJ. Myasthenia Gravis in
Monozygotic Twins; Clinical Follow-up Nine Years After Thymectomy.
Archives of Neurology 41: 994-996, 1984.
Kissel P, Chehrazi B, Seibert JA, Wagner FC. Digital Angiographic
Quantification of Blood Flow Dynamics in Embolic Stroke Treated with
Tissue-Type Plasminogen Activator. Journal of Neurosurgery.
67: 399-405, 1987.
Lee BCP, Brock JM, Fan T, Siebert JA, Moonen C, Kissel P, Chehrazi B,
Bradbury EM. 31P Spectroscopy in Throbolytic Treatment of
Experimental Cerebral Infarct. American Journal of Neuroradiology
Vol. 10: 47-52, 1989.
Chehrazi B, Kissel P, Seibert JA, Hein L, Brock J. Evaluation of
Recombinant Tissue Plasminogen Activator in Embolic Stroke.
Neurosurgery 3: 355-360, 1989.
Kissel P, Boggan JE, Wagner FC. CT Evolution of an Acute Venous
Epidural Hematoma. Journal of Emergency Medicine 7: 365-369, 1989.
Quattrocchi KB, Kissel P, Ellis WG, Frank E. Cavernous Angioma
of the Tentorium Cerebelli. Journal of Neurosurgery 71: 935-937, 1989.
Castel P, Kissel P. Intracerebral and Infratentorial Hemorrhage.
In Youmans, Neurological Surgery, Third Edition; Philadelphia,
W.B. Saunders Co., Ch 62, 1890-1917, 1990.
Quattrocchi KB, Nielsen SL, Kissel P, Wagner FC. Traumatic Aneurysm of the
Superior Cerebellar Artery: Case Report and Review of the Literature,
Neurosurgery 27: 476-479, 1991.
Chehrazi B, Seibert JA, Hein L, Brock J, Kissel P. Differential Effect
of t-PA Induced Thrombolysis in the CNS and Systemic Arteries.
Neurosurgery 28: 364-369, 1991.
Kissel P, Youmans JR. Post-traumatic Anterior Cervical Osteophyte
and Dysphagia: Surgical Report and Literature Review. Journal of
Spinal Disorders 5: 104-107, 1992.
Herron LD, Kissel P, Smilovitz DW, Stover K, Hayashi HH. Coccidioido-
mycosis Fungal Infections of The Spine. Journal of Spinal Disorders 10:
215-222, 1997.
Olson EM, Duberg AC, Herron LD, Kissel P, Smilovitz D. Coccidioidal
Spondylitis: MR Findings in 15 Patients. American Journal of Radiology
171: 785-789, 1998.
Kissel P, Herron LD. Anterior Cervical Fusion with Autogenous Vertebral
Body Bone Graft: Results in single level surgery. The Spinal Journal.
In publication for Jan. 2001.
Lehmer LM, Kissel P, Ragsdale BD. Frontal Sinus Osteoblastoma-like
Histology and Associated Intracranial Pneumatocele. Head and Neck
Pathology, Vol. 5, #2, 2011.
Torbeck R, Ragsdale BD, Malotte MJ, Donath G, Kissel P, Siebenlist J.
Aggressive Atypical Fibroxanthoma: Unusual Behavior of Two Cutaneous
Neoplasms. Submitted for publication April 2012.
Kissel P, Hannah JB, Russell BE. Dystextia: An Early Sign of Pregnancy-
associated Meningioma. Open Journal of Modern Neurosurgery 4,
69-75, doi: 10.4236/OJMN. 2014.42015.
Menger R, Taylor S, Kissel P, et al. Impact of Hospital and Health System Mergers and Acquisitions on the Practicing Neurosurgeon: Survey and Analysis From the CSNS Medical Director’s Ad Hoc Representative Section. Neurosurgery, Vol. 82, 2018
Medical Teaching Activities:
Pharmacy Department Sierra Vista Hospital
Thrombolytic Therapy in Stroke. Feb. 15, 1990.
Surgery Department Rounds at Sierra Vista Hospital
Intracranial Vascular Problems. April 13, 1990.
Critical Care Symposium at Sierra Vista Hospital.
Neurotrauma Lecture. April 27, 1990
University of California Medical Center in San Francisco,
Department of Neurological Surgery. Lecture and Lab
Instruction regarding The Williams Anterior Cervical Fusion
Technique. June 6, 1990.
Nursing Staff Lecture at Sierra Vista Hospital.
Hydrocephalus. Oct. 18, 1990.
San Luis Obispo City Wide Grand Rounds.
Pituitary Tumors. November 2, 1990.
Central Coast American Association of Critical Care
Nurses Symposium. Pituitary Tumor Management and
Bioethics Panel Discussion. March 8, 1991.
San Antonio Texas Spinal Surgeons. Lecture and Lab
Instruction Regarding The Williams Anterior Cervical Fusion
Technique. August 1991.
California Department of Highway Patrol. Public Awareness
Campaign. Lecture concerning helmets in motorcycle
injury. December 5, 1991.
Critical Care Lecture at Sierra Vista Hospital.
Transcranial Doppler Evaluation. July 30, 1992.
University of California Davis, Department of Neurological
Surgery: Grand Rounds. Management of Multiple Intracranial
Aneurysms. September 30, 1992.
Sierra Vista Nursing Staff Lecture. Pediatric Head Injury.
April 28, 1993.
Internal Medicine Department Lecture at Sierra Vista Hospital.
Thrombolytic Therapy: Intracranial Complications and
Applications. April 30, 1993.
Critical Care Symposium at Sierra Vista Hospital. Intracranial
Hemorrhage: Types and Treatments. May 14, 1993.
Arroyo Grande Hospital/Community Lecture.
Lumbar Spinal Problems: June 17, 1993.
California Polytechnic University Lecture. Statewide Coaches
Workshop. Head and Spine Injury Prevention. August 5, 1993.
French Hospital Surgical Update Symposium. What’s New
in Neurosurgery? September 17, 1993.
Sierra Vista Hospital Neuroscience Conference. Clinical
Applicability of Transcranial Doppler. November 30, 1993.
Osler Institute Course Instructor. Neurological Surgery
Review Seminar; Los Angeles, May 1995 & San Diego 1997.
University of California Davis, Department of Neurosurgery
Grand Rounds. Treatment of Spinal Coccidioidomycosis
Infections. October 4, 1995.
French & Sierra Vista Medical Center Nursing Lectures.
Management of Head Injury. Nov/Dec, 1998.
Brain Attack Conference at Sierra Vista Medical Center.
Clinical Management of Intracranial Hemorrhage. January 29, 1999.
Central Coast 1st Annual Neuroscience Conference; Shell Beach,
California. Physician Chairperson and Lecturer. April 28, 2000.
University of California Davis, Department of Neurological
Surgery: Grand Rounds. Anterior Cervical Fusion with Autogenous
Vertebral Body Bone Graft: Results in Single Level Surgery.
November 8, 2000.
Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center Symposium. Diagnosis &
Management of Brain Tumors. January 30, 2003.
Thacher School. Neurobiology Lecture Series. February 2004 & 2005 and
April 2007.
Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center Symposium. Closed Head Injury.
March 31, 2004.
Physician Chairperson and Lecturer. Rosalind Franklin University/
The Chicago Medical School and Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center Symposium. Cervical Spine Care. February 2005.

Physician Chairperson and Lecturer. Rosalind Franklin University/
The Chicago Medical School and Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center Symposium. ABC’s of Stroke Care. March 31, 2006.
Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center Lecture. Neurosurgical Shunts
And Hydrocephalus. April 18, 2007.
Physician Chairperson and Lecturer. Rosalind Franklin University/The
Chicago Medical School and Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center
Symposium, Head and Spinal Neurological Injury, April 27, 2007.
Distinguished Alumnus of the Year presentation. Rosalind Franklin
University/ The Chicago Medical School. Central Nervous System
Fungal Infections. October 13, 2007.
Rosalind Franklin University. Medical Student Lecture. Cervical Spine Surgery. April 28, 2008.
Atascadero State Hospital Grand Rounds Lecture. Cervical Spine Surgery. May 21, 2008.
Physician Chairperson and Lecturer. Rosalind Franklin University/The Chicago Medical School and Sierra Vista Reginal Medical Center symposium, Clinical Management of Brain Tumors. June 26, 2008.
Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center Lecture. Neurosurgical Aspects of Spinal Tumors. August 13, 2008.
UCI Medical Students Surgery Interest Group. “Perspective of Private Practice Neurosurgery.” January 15, 2010
Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center Public Lecture. Lumbar Spinal Disorders. February 25, 2010
Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center Rehabilitation Therapists. “Surgical Care of Spinal Surgery Patients.” August 6. 2010
UCI Medical Student Lecture. “Tethered Spinal Cord.” February 18, 2011
Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center Lecture Therapist and Nurses. “Tethered Spinal Cord.” June 19, 2011
Gyrotonics Rejuvenation Course; “Neurological Aspects of Integrated Spinal Movement.” February 23, 2013
Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center Medical Staff Lecture. “Neurosurgical Update of Intracranial Hemorrhage.” March 15, 2013
Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center Staff Lecture. “Dystextia: An Early Sign of Pregnancy-associated Meningioma.” September 20, 2013
Central Coast Speech, Language & Pathology Alliance Lecture. “Dystextia: An Early Sign of Expressive Aphasia.” November 4, 2013
Scripps College Post-Baccalaureate Premedical Program Certificate Ceremony Guest Speaker. “Medical Career Challenges.” May, 8, 2015
Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center Quarterly Staff Meeting. “Spinal Tumors.” July 27, 2015 California Association of Neurological Surgeons Annual Meeting. President and Moderator. “Regaining Patient Choice and Physician Freedom.” Pismo Beach, January 22-24, 2016
California Association of Neurological Surgeons Annual Meeting. Presentation honoring Frederick K. Amerongen, M.D. January 23, 2016
California Association of Neurological Surgeons Annual Meeting. Presentation honoring Mitchel S. Berger, M.D. January 19, 2017
Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center, Trauma Committee Meeting. Occipitocervical Junction Injury. June 14, 2017
Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center Symposium. Spinal Cord Injury. March 14, 2018
CANS Annual Meeting. Participant in Roundtable Discussion regarding COVID-19 and private practice. January 17, 2021
Sierra Vista Operating Room Staff Lecture. Far Lateral Lumbar Disc Herniation: The Ganglionic Syndrome. July 7, 2021
Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center; Trauma Committee Meeting. Thoracolumbar Chance Fractures Diagnosis and Treatment. June 22, 2022.
Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center and Twin Cities Community Hospital. Nursing Staff Stroke Lecture Series. Intracranial Hemorrhage. October/November 2022.
Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center; Trauma Symposium. Traumatic Brain Injury, Review and Update. May 4, 2023.
Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center; Nursing Staff Lecture. Postoperative Bladder Distention. May 16 & 17, 2023.

National Board of Medical Examiners	1984
American Board of Neurological Surgeons	1991
Fellow, American College of Surgeons	1993
Qualified Medical Evaluator	1994-2012

Phillip Kissel, M.D.

Certification:

University Affiliations:

Professional Memberships:

Hospital Committees:

Community Activities:

Scientific Presentations:

Publications:

Medical Teaching Activities: